One Song And A Proposal
by ograndebatata
Summary: Songfic inspired by TrudiRose's fic "The Fairest of Them All". It is recommended that you read it before reading this oneshot, although there is a minor summary inside for those who wish for it.


_Disclaimer: I do not own either Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs or Beauty and the Beast. Both of them belong to Walt Disney Animation Studios. I also do not own The Fairest Of Them All, which belongs to TrudiRose. I own only the idea I had for this oneshot. _

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_As described in the summary, this oneshot was inspired by The Fairest of Them All a Beauty and the Beast/Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs crossover written by TrudiRose. In order to have a full idea of the plot behind it, it would be wise to go and read her story - which I'm sure you won't regret, because it's fantastic!_

_However, if you would rather read this oneshot first, here are a few basic facts about The Fairest Of Them All. _

_Gaston survived his fall from the tower, and ended up meeting and falling in love with Snow White, and she with him. Meanwhile, Prince Ferdinand, (the name TrudiRose gave the Prince from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs), who eventually arrived to Gaston's village in search of Snow White, ended up becoming close to Bunny (one of the triplets from Beauty And The Beast) and she to him. Over time, the two of them developed romantic feelings for each other, but both were too shy to speak them aloud... until the celebration following Gaston's wedding to Snow White, at which Ferdinand at last proposed to Bunny. _

_This story is an alternate conception of how Ferdinand's proposal might have gone, had it included one of the romantic duets Disney fans have come to know and love. _

_I hope you enjoy it._

_But first, here are a few words from TrudiRose herself. _

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Foreward by TrudiRose

This is a first for me: a fanfic of my fanfic! When Ograndebatata contacted me to say that he loved my story "The Fairest of Them All" and asked my permission to write a songfic that would be an AU version of Ferdinand's proposal, I was very flattered! I love what he came up with. All the characters are so in-character, and the song is adorable. I hope you will enjoy reading it as much as I did!

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_And now here is the actual oneshot._

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**One Song And A Proposal**

_It is like something out of a fairy tale._

That was everything that seemed to come to Bunny's mind as she stood in the large, opulent ballroom in Prince Adam's and Princess Belle's castle, watching countless happy couples dancing under the dazzling chandelier and the cherub-covered ceiling. It was not the first time the thought had struck her today, but she didn't feel it was any less appropriate. There simply was no other way to describe it, or any other of the things that had caused such a thought to come to her mind today. Gaston and Snow looking like the perfect happy couple out of the fairy tales her mother had told her and her sisters when they were children, Gaston and Snow pouring their hearts out before God and the dozens of people attending their wedding ceremony, the lavish feast capable of making those at the tavern look like dry bread and water in comparison… all of that seemed out of her realm, otherworldly, and yet so vivid that she just knew it had to be real.

She doubted she would ever witness anything like that again regardless of how long she lived. And she was intent on enjoying it while it lasted.

She wasn't the only one. All of the villagers, in their own way, were trying to make all they could to enjoy the remainder of the ceremony. Lefou and Amelie were on their fifth dance, the former's clumsiness seemingly left outside the dance floor as he and his wife glided over the fine tiles. The baker and his wife sampled refined pastry after refined pastry as if merely tasting them would be enough to determine the sort of ingredients used and whether there was any chance of them reproducing something similar in the village's bakery at an affordable price. Even her sisters had cast aside their jealousy at Snow White for being the one to get Gaston and were looking over the other well-off men in the ballroom, entertaining dreams of snagging one for themselves with healthy doses of flirting and eyelash-batting.

Bunny couldn't really blame them – after all, they still had to find what her mother deemed as 'the solution to all their problems' – but seeing her sisters plotting on how to get a suitor like they would try to pick the best bread at the baker's stand still left her uneasy. She could only be thankful she had managed to become a better person as of late, even as she lamented that her sisters had yet to see the light. She wished she could help them with that, and had tried to do her part over the last several days, but somehow, her words always fell on empty ears. Even today, in spite of her attempts at advising Bambi and Bubbles to keep themselves grounded, they acted as if they hadn't heard her and instead tried to choose which single man in the room was the best catch now that Gaston was gone forever.

Of course, the relatively scant noblemen who had been invited to the wedding – apparently either because they had some sort of connection to Snow's father or because they had simply heard a princess was going to get married – were those most avidly set in their sights, although none had been the target of an actual approach. Even her sisters seemed to have enough common sense to stay away from men who were so out of their means that they had no idea of how to truly interact with them. Bunny hoped that would last until the party ended – Bambi and Bubbles throwing themselves at an aristocrat was bound to bring nothing but embarrassment for them, for their mother, and maybe even for the whole village.

The thought was enough to make her shudder.

In an effort to drive it away from her mind, she started sneaking away toward the balcony. Maybe some fresh air would cause more pleasant thoughts to come to her.

But halfway there, she froze in her path, as someone she hadn't been expecting to see at least until the party ended walked toward her.

"There you are," Ferdinand said, giving her a smile that somehow made Bunny sure he was genuinely happy to see her.

"Well, I'm here…" Bunny managed to get out, feeling very self-conscious all of a sudden. Seeing him come up to her out of nowhere was, for lack of a better word, surprising, and the fact he looked so happy to see her also seemed somewhat startling.

While the two of them had spent quite some time together over the last twenty days, and had enjoyed their moments together, today they had barely seen one another. They had sat together at the wedding ceremony, and had also managed to sit together during the feast, but once the time for dancing had started, Ferdinand had been whisked away by a group of high-class-looking guests who appeared to be less interested in dancing and more interested in talking to Ferdinand about whatever it was people of their status talked about, and hadn't even given him time to excuse himself to Bunny before doing so. Since then, she had only caught a few glimpses of him, always immersed in conversations either with the same guests he'd gone away with or others who appeared to have a similar status. Once or twice, she had gotten the impression that he was merely being polite, and was actually anxious to get away from them, but it had to be her imagination getting the best of her. He was a prince; it only made sense he'd enjoy interacting with people closer to him in status than her.

"I'm sorry I couldn't come back to you sooner," Ferdinand said. "But it seems some people here are less interested in enjoying the party and more interested in opportunities for new alliances."

From his tone, he looked genuinely sorry, but that only made Bunny more confused. Why had he been so earnest in coming back to her? Could he somehow…

_Stop! Right there! Don't start feeding stupid dreams like you did when Gaston kissed you. Ferdinand is a prince! He may be your friend, but that's it!_

"It's alright," Bunny managed, hoping she hadn't been silent for too long. "I imagine important people can't simply be turned away without risking some bad consequences."

Ferdinand's smile became bitter at those words.

"Unfortunately."

Bunny's heart dropped the tiniest bit. In spite of suspecting exactly what she said, Ferdinand's expression conveyed to her she had been far more right than she would have liked to.

But in a matter few moments, Ferdinand's face lit up again.

"But rest assured, I have already talked to every person who wanted to discuss important issues. Now we can enjoy the rest of our evening together – if you would wish to, of course."

Her spirits instantly raised at those words. As much as she knew she couldn't entertain… certain thoughts about Ferdinand, he was still the nicest man she had ever met. She would love to spend as much time with him as possible – until he left, at least.

"I would," Bunny replied, her own face lighting up with a smile.

At that moment, the orchestra's song came to an end, and the many couples in the dance floor stopped where they were. Bunny caught a glimpse of Lefou leaning backwards as though he was going to fall flat on his back, but then managing to right itself right when the fall seemed inevitable. Apparently, his clumsiness only truly went away when he was actually dancing. A few nearby men and their dance partners sniggered, but Lefou seemed not to pay it any mind, as both he and Amelie went away for a drink.

They didn't seem to be the only ones. Several other couples left the dance floor, arm in arm, a few heading the same way as Lefou and Amelie. Even the orchestra set down their instruments - although they didn't actually put them in their cases – and several of its members also walked off in several directions.

By her side, Ferdinand bowed to her and offered her his right hand, "Once the interval ends, would you give me the next dance, my lady?"

Bunny smiled and reached out to take his hand, but as she was about to touch him a sudden fear came over her and she pulled back as if her fingertips had been burned.

"You'd better not," she choked out, blood rushing to her face. "I'm not a very good dancer. You'd feel as if your feel had been mangled by a bear when we were done."

Ferdinand chuckled at her joke, and in spite of her nervousness, so did she.

"I assure you, if that was to happen, I would take it in stride and continue to enjoy dancing with you," Ferdinand replied, every inflection of his voice and every line of his face somehow conveying to Bunny that he meant it from the bottom of his heart.

Bunny felt like she could melt. He was such a gentleman…

Still, she couldn't bring herself to accept. Although she was not as bad a dancer as she'd said, she was sure she would pale in the eyes of Ferdinand, who'd certainly had hours of dance lessons as part of his preparation to become king, and likely had had dance partners far better than her in all sorts of royal events – a thought that seemed to stab at her heart. But even if she wasn't afraid of being a dreadful dancer in the eyes of Ferdinand, she didn't dare to accept his request. She knew dances were moments intimate enough for a man and a woman to develop deeper feelings for one another, or for one half of the pair to develop them toward the other. And her feelings for Ferdinand were already dangerously deep. She didn't want them to grow even further. Not when, sooner or later, he would have to go back to his kingdom, and she would never see him again.

"But I couldn't ask you to go through that," she tried to insist, seeing no other grounds on which to refuse. "You've been so kind to me. The least I can do is spare your feet any agony I can."

"You've been very kind to me as well," Ferdinand assured. "If you did step on me, I'd keep focusing on the pleasant parts of dancing with you, I promise."

They looked into each other's eyes for a moment, both frozen in their current positions. After a few moments, Ferdinand straightened up.

"But if you don't want to dance, I will respect your wishes," he said, as composed as always.

Bunny's heart clenched a tad bit. She could tell he was disappointed, and for how dumb she and her sisters had been accused of being, she was bright enough to know she was the cause of it. And unlike on every other occasion when she had disappointed a man, she felt no pride in it.

Somewhere to her left, a sound akin to that of the butcher's mallet softening up meat resounded through the area, and both Ferdinand and Bunny started as though they'd snapped out of a trance. Looking toward the source of the sound, Bunny realized that Gaston was about ten feet away from where she and Ferdinand were, as well as Snow White and three high-class-looking men whose names Bunny didn't know. Gaston had his left fist pressed into the palm of his right hand, as though he'd just slammed them together. It was something he tended to do when telling stories of his feats, usually to punctuate a moment in which he described a fantastic shot of his.

"And that was it," Gaston finished to his enraptured audience. "An arrow to the heart, and the mighty eagle crashed to the ground, never to steal lambs again!"

The three men looked like they were making a great effort to prevent their jaws from dropping to the ground, while Snow White looked up at Gaston in awe. For a moment, Bunny almost expected someone, maybe Lefou or even Gaston himself, to proclaim "No one stops livestock theft like Gaston!", but that didn't happen. The only reaction to the statement was the awed looks of his audience.

"Unbelievable…" one of the men finally managed. "Shooting an eagle out of the sky with an arrow… I had never heard of such a thing before."

"Well, neither had anyone around these parts," Gaston replied. "Until I actually did it, that is."

Bunny steeled herself for one of the bouts of obnoxious laughter that typically followed a remark like that, but to her surprise, Gaston merely chuckled. In the deepest and manliest way he could muster, but still, he only chuckled. Either Snow had somewhat coached him on how to behave in front of important figures, or his inner change went even more deeply than Bunny had imagined.

From her right, Ferdinand leaned toward her.

"Would you like to go for a walk?" He inquired. A glance to his right seemed to add 'So we spare ourselves from Gaston's bragging?'

"I would like it very much," she replied, a wide smile on her face.

Ferdinand smiled as well, and the two of them entwined their elbows. For a moment, Bunny thought she saw a hint of disappointment on the face of one of the important-looking men Gaston was entertaining. But when she held Ferdinand's arm and he started escorting her toward the garden, any thoughts about the nameless nobleman disappeared, as she decided to devote her full focus to enjoying every second she could with Ferdinand. Because unless her instincts were wrong, she hadn't many of those left.

* * *

Much to Ferdinand's relief, the ambience in the garden was a pleasure to enjoy. The air was quite cooler than inside the castle, the absence of people and buzzing chatter that never completely faded even when the musicians played seemed to lift an invisible pressure off of him, and scattered fireflies flew about like stars down to earth. Also, a slight breeze made the flowers flutter in a manner that practically radiated peace, and even the chirping of the crickets did no more than enhance the quietude that surrounded them.

Yet, somehow, Ferdinand still could not bring himself to say the words that at the same time he was desperate to utter. Even though the setting was perfect, and he knew he had to propose to Bunny tonight, he appeared to have been rendered mute.

It was nothing like what had happened with Snow White. Upon finding her at the tavern, he had simply walked inside, told to Snow White how far and wide he had looked for her, and dropped to one knee as he expected her to marry him.

Yet, alone with Bunny at a locale that an artist's brush would have trouble replicating, he couldn't muster half of the confidence he'd possessed at that time.

But he had to. If he didn't, he would have to leave alone tomorrow, most likely never to see Bunny again.

That though giving him a temporary boost in purpose, Ferdinand started opening his mouth, but he didn't have time to make a sound before Bunny spoke up herself.

"So, what did you think of the wedding?" she asked. "Was it anywhere near what you may be used to back home? Or are weddings here as behind those at your home as our entertainment?"

A twinge of disappointment pricked at his heart, taking away the surge of determination. Still, Ferdinand made to reply, but before he could, Bunny's steps halted, and Ferdinand did the same, as a look of realization mingled with embarrassment came to Bunny's face.

"I mean, you are used to weddings, right?" she interjected. "I'm sorry, but it's just, I always thought of royal people as used to that sort of thing. Please don't…"

"Bunny," he appeased, his free hand raised. "It's alright. I knew you meant no harm."

He paused to allow Bunny to experience proper relief, which she did, giving him a shy, apologetic smile as she did so. Ferdinand smiled at her as well to show there was no harm, and carried on, "And yes, I have been to a good number of weddings. Although they were by no means a daily or even weekly occurrence, I have been to enough of them both back home and on foreign locales to have a general idea on what a royal wedding is like."

He paused again to think on all the weddings he remembered in order to be sure he wouldn't make hasty judgments when giving his opinion. Bunny's eyes were locked attentively on him.

After careful thought, he finally replied, "I confess I have seen weddings more sumptuous than Snow's and Gaston's, although on that part alone, it would still rank quite high. But even if we took away the impressive dresses, the feast, and the grand ballroom dance, their wedding would still be one of the best I remember seeing, if not the very best."

"Really?" There was nothing short of pure awe in Bunny's voice. "Why?"

"Because Snow and Gaston really love one another, and that was plain for all to see." Ferdinand clarified. "Among royalty, or even nobility, weddings are more often than not means to an end. From what I know, they are still quite far from an absolute tortures to endure, but nevertheless, the primary consideration in those weddings tends to be how advantageous the relationship is for the families of the bride and groom, rather than the actual happiness of those involved. It was wonderful to see one that was an exception to that rule."

Bunny smiled dreamily at those words.

"I know what you mean," she said, as she looked up to the stars in an apparent attempt to sink into her thoughts.

Thinking this was the best opportunity he'd get, Ferdinand again tried to start a speech he'd never managed to come up with in spite of his best preparations, but it was all cut off as Bunny said, "I only hope I will marry a man who looks at me like Gaston looks at Snow."

The moment she finished her sentence, she winced and put her right hand to her mouth, looking at Ferdinand out of the corner of her eye while her cheeks got redder than a tomato, as if she had uttered a swear word rather than a deepest hope.

"I'm sorry again," she managed to squeak. "I always seem to be putting my foot in my mouth today…"

"Again, there's no need to apologize," Ferdinand assured, as he reached over to gently pull her hand away from her mouth. "There is nothing wrong with wanting to marry someone who loves you. And I assure you, you are a wonderful woman. Any man who marries you will be the luckiest man in the world."

Any embarrassment Bunny had felt appeared to have vanished, but now there was a downcast look on her face.

"Thank you for your kindness," she said, her voice unusually low. "And please know you are a wonderful man. Any woman would be lucky to be loved by you. I deeply hope that when you find her, she loves you back."

_I have found her!_ Ferdinand thought, the words wanting to burst out of him. _You are her! I love you Bunny!_

Yet, he said nothing again.

He inwardly cursed himself. Why was he like this? Even if Bunny did not love him as he loved her, she had been the person who treated him with the most kindness since he'd set foot in Molyneaux. She deserved nothing less than honesty from him. And although he worried that she might feel contrite upon realizing the feelings he'd harbored for her, he fully intended to reassure her that she was not obligated to anything. Whatever her feelings were, they came first. And most of all, he had to apologize for having made her feel bad. Yet even basic courtesy seemed to be beyond him!

Why did growth of character in so many directions have to come with a downgrade in others? How he wished for a sliver of the confidence he'd felt when he'd approached Snow White at the well and joined her in song…

['Now Our Love Can Soar', song. Set to the tune of 'Love Is An Open Door' as performed by Kristen Bell and Santino Fontana. Ferdinand and Bunny are standing in the garden, in front of a fountain. Just behind Ferdinand, we can see that the fountain has a pedestal on the middle. A cherub like those of the ballroom is on top of said pedestal, and he appears to be pointing an arrow with a heart for an arrowhead down at the couple.]

[The opening notes begin. Ferdinand still seems downcast, but then appears to be struck by a sudden mix of inspiration and bravery.]

Ferdinand (hopeful): Bunny, can I please tell you something?

[Cut to Bunny. She seems surprised at first, but then shrugs it off.]

Bunny (interested voice, but a face that's a tad bit downcast): Of course you can.

[Cut to a view of Ferdinand and Bunny which shows Ferdinand to the right, and Bunny to the left. The camera is behind Bunny and to her right, at an angle where we can see her expression but we mostly see Ferdinand, with the rest of the background behind him filled by the garden. As Ferdinand sings, a surprised look comes to Bunny's face.]

Ferdinand

_All the days you and I have been here together_

_Were simply the best in my life_

[Camera changes its focus to Bunny. She's awed, but then bravery seems to come over her.]

Bunny [speaking]: May I say something myself?

[She steps forward and starts singing]: _You're the man I've loved the most in forever _

[Camera shifts so that we again look at the couple from the side, Ferdinand to the right, and Bunny to the left.]

_But my hopes you'd love me back…_

[Camera shifts so that we're again looking at Bunny, now from the front and slightly to her right. Bunny clasps her hands in a shy manner and scrunches up her face in shame, although her voice remains steady.]

_I can't say they were rife_

[Camera shifts so that we're looking at Ferdinand and Bunny from the side, this time with Ferdinand to the left and Bunny to the right, with a flower put on a pedestal behind them. Ferdinand reaches forward and holds Bunny's hands. On cue, she raises her own to hold his'.]

Bunny: _But I say_

Ferdinand: _And I say_

Bunny/Ferdinand: _I love you/I love you too_

[The two of them give half a twirl as if waltzing, and then run off to the camera's right and get off-screen at 'is all' but their voices are still perfectly audible even after that.]

Both: _And that's all I have been hoping for. _

[Cut to a flight of stairs, which is quite poorly lit as it is nighttime, but lit well enough for we to see. We see Ferdinand and Bunny holding hands and running up stairs, from above and slightly to their left, with only the background behind them changing. Bunny is to the camera's right, Ferdinand to the camera's left.]

Both: _Now our love can soar!_

_Now our love can soar!_

_Now our love can soar!_

[Cut to outside a balcony, facing its doors. The doors are pulled open and Ferdinand and Bunny get out, Bunny again to the right and Ferdinand to the left. Cut to a close-up from Ferdinand and Bunny from the waist-up as they get out and look at one another.]

_Indeed_

_Indeed_

_Indeed_

_Indeed_

[Cut to behind them. Both of them raise their free arms (Bunny her left, and Ferdinand his right) to the sky as they look toward it, while also raising their clasped hands.]

_Now our love can soar…_

[As the last syllable is drawn out, there's a cut so that now we're looking at Ferdinand and Bunny from the front. They lower their arms and again look to one another. Camera shifts to a close-up of their faces.]

Ferdinand: _It really seems…_

Bunny: _More than seems_

Ferdinand: _That we were just…_

Bunny: Meant to be.

Ferdinand (puts his thumb and forefinger to Bunny's chin]: I know we were.

[Cut to the same bridge on top of which we saw Belle and the Beast walking when the Beast snapped at Belle 'It's forbidden!'. We see the bridge filling the screen from one side to the other, and Ferdinand and Bunny from their left sides, with Bunny in the foreground. They are walking with a skip to their step.]

Both: _I never ever thought_

_I'd love you as much as this_

[They turn to one another. Cut to a view of them from the waist up, Ferdinand to the left, and Bunny to the right. Both of them spread their arms as wide as they can.]

Both: _This?_ [They try to spread their arms even wider.]_ More than this!_

[They join up again and start waltzing, while the background behind them shifts and the camera zooms out while they waltz to its left. At 'hearts' the background has fully shifted and zooms out, making us realize they're in some sort of map room in front of a very large world map. Once it fully zooms out, the world map fills the entire background, with Ferdinand and Bunny still seen from the waist up and waltzing to the camera's left. At 'outside' they get off-screen, and only the world map is visible.]

Both:

_The love we have in our hearts_

_Can not be put into charts_

[Cut to a close-up of what appears to be a window, as there's a bit of dark blue starry sky in the foreground. Ferdinand leans into view from the left, and Bunny does so from the right; camera only shows them from the shoulders above.]

Bunny: _But_

Ferdinand: _But_

Both: _We know it's there_

[Big zoom out from the previous image. We see that Ferdinand and Bunny are in the castle's library, dancing in front of its windows, with the full moon shining from behind them.]

Ferdinand: _Say hello_

Bunny: _Say hello_

[Cut to the library's door with Ferdinand's and Bunny's shadows, which are moving because of their waltz, cast on it by the full moon, visible enough in spite of the darkness.]

Both: _To our life together_

_Don't let shadows stop us anymore_

[Cut to right outside the library, with Ferdinand and Bunny running out of the door.]

Both: _Now our love can soar!_

[Cut to the top of the castle's tallest tower, with Ferdinand and Bunny standing on its balcony. The camera slowly zooms in.]

_Now our love can soar!_

_Forever and ever more!_

[Cut to a view from a perfectly cloud free starry sky. In perfect synchrony, Bunny's hands come from the bottom of the camera, and Ferdinand's from the top. Bunny's hands are making the bottom half of a heart, and Ferdinand's the top half. At the third indeed, their hands join.]

_Indeed_

_Indeed_

_Indeed_

[Cut to a frontal view of Ferdinand and Bunny, still making the heart with their hands, and showing that both of them have their arms raised at an about 45º angle, giving the impression they're looking at the starry sky seen through the heart their hands make.]

_Indeed_

[Ferdinand and Bunny look at one another tenderly.]

_Now our love can soar…_

[The two of them keep making the heart while they draw out the last syllable. Light instrumental from the chorus keeps playing. Then, at the same time, both of them slowly let go of the heart their hands have formed. Cut to a side view of them, with Bunny turned to Ferdinand, and Ferdinand sinking down to one knee. Once he's down, he takes a small case out of his pocket and opens it, revealing a gold ring with three diamonds – a larger one in the middle and two smaller ones on each side of it – on top.]

Ferdinand: Bunny… will you marry me?

Bunny: Oh Ferdinand… [Sinks down with him and wraps her arms around him with a gleeful smile on her face, causing him to hug her back tightly even as he clenches the hand where he holds the ring and its case.] YES! YES I WILL!

[Ferdinand smiles. Then Bunny lets go and stands up, allowing Ferdinand to slide the ring onto her finger. Then, he stands up as well, the two of them lean toward one another, and then exchange a deep, passionate kiss. Music ends.]

The End

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_So... this is how I envisioned Ferdinand's proposal would have gone if it was a scene in one of Disney's musicals. I sincerely hope you enjoyed it, whether you're familiar with The Fairest Of Them All or not. __And just in case it comes up, I apologize for setting my duet to the tune of a love song that turned out to be quite one-sided.__ To clear up any questions there might be, no, I don't think Ferdinand's and Bunny's relationship is as doomed to failure as Hans' and Anna's, nor do I think Ferdinand is a liar like Hans turned out to be. I chose Love Is An Open Door to set my lyrics to because of its catchy tune, not because of the double meanings of its lyrics. _

_Thank you for understanding._

_Also, I again recommend The Fairest Of Them All. Though both main pairings are unusual, TrudiRose executes them excellently, and the story is, in one word, great._

_Last, but certainly not least, thank you for reading._


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